So, too, are the people removing invasive bush honeysuckle from their properties.

This year’s plant sale by the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District offers “packets” of trees and shrubs designed as good replacements for ash or honeysuckle.

The annual sale has long promoted a variety of native trees and shrubs to homeowners at low prices. The bare-root trees are small but healthy, and they grow fast, catching up to larger trees in a few years.

New this year, the ash and honeysuckle packets aim to fill two needs in the changing central Ohio landscape.

“The ash replacement packet came from the number of dead, dying and removed ash trees,” said Mary Ann Brouillette, communication specialist with the district. “Of course, a balled-and-burlapped 10-year-old tree makes more of an immediate impact in the landscape, but that is more money than some folks are able to spend, especially if they lost more than one tree.”

The $22 ash packet includes two each of tulip poplar, river birch, red oak, thornless honeylocust and red maple trees — species that can fit in many varied landscapes.

The honeysuckle-replacement packet, also $22, includes two each of ninebark, silky dogwood, arrowwood viburnum, pasture rose and black chokeberry. The shrubs were chosen to provide a practical, healthy alternative to honeysuckle, which was originally planted for screening and erosion control but which has taken over large swaths of land while providing poor nutrition to birds.

The honeysuckle-replacement mixture should provide screening as well as better birdfeed.

“We wanted to include some berry producers that had a higher fat content — more nutritional value — for birds preparing for winter or migration flights,” Brouillette said.

The district has other mixes, including a shrub mix to lure songbirds. It also sells seedlings of 12- to 18-inch trees such as Northern pecan, persimmon and American beech.

A few plants are sold in containers, such as oakleaf hydrangea and pasture rose, which can replace invasive multiflora roses.

Tree orders must be placed by March 31 for pickup April 19-20.

Cindy Decker, At Home editor, writes about native gardening.

cdecker@dispatch.com

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